1. Families Associated with Marbury Hall The word ‘Marbury’ derives from two Old English words: ‘mere’ (lake) and ‘birig’ (house); hence, the house by the lake. The Merburie (Marbury) Family During the 13th century, the Merburie family owned a lot of property and land in mid Cheshire. Members of the Merburie family were Sheriffs of Cheshire and in 1413 and 1414 Sir Lawrence de Merburie presided over the court in Northwich. Their first house, made of timber and thatch, remained as the family home until a more substantial house was built early in the 16th century. Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers of Rocksavage (ca1660-1712) When the last male heir of the Marbury family died, his sisters sold the manor and lands at Marbury in 1684 to Richard Savage. Richard was the second son of Thomas Savage, 3rd Earl Rivers and became Lord Colchester on the death of his elder brother Thomas. In 1681, Richard entered Parliament as member for Wigan and procured a commission in the Horseguards in 1686. In 1694, he succeeded his father as 4th Earl Rivers. In 1679, Richard married Penelope Downes, by whom he had a daughter Elizabeth. He also left several illegitimate children. As he had no legitimate son, the earldom passed on his death to his cousin, on whose death around 1735, all the Savage family titles became extinct. Richard’s daughter Elizabeth Savage married James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore, and this provided the link between the Barry and Savage families, which led to the Barry family becoming owner of the Marbury estate. The de Barry Family The de Barry family is a noble family of Cambro (Welsh)-Norman origins, which held extensive land holdings in Wales and Ireland. The founder of the family was a Norman Knight, Odo, who assisted in the Norman conquest of England during the 11th Century. As a reward for his military services, Odo was granted the lands of Manorbier, Penally and Begelly in Pembrokeshire and around Barry, South Wales, including Barri (Barry) Island just off the coast, and named after the 6th Century Saint Baruc. At the end of the 11th Century, Odo built the first motte-and-bailey (a wooden hall surrounded by earthworks) at Manorbier. His son William Fitzodo de Barri later rebuilt Manorbier Castle in stone and the family retained the lordship of Manorbier until the 15th Century. Manorbier Castle, Pembrokeshire – built 12th Century by William de Barri William’s fourth son was Gerald di Barri, known as Gerald of Wales, a 12th Century scholar. Gerald gives the origin of his family’s name, de Barri, in his Itinerarium Cambriae (1191): “Not far from Caerdyf is a small island situated near the shore of the Severn, called Barri, from St Baroc……From hence a noble family, of the maritime parts of South Wales, who owned this island and the adjoining estates, received the name of de Barri.” Many of Odo’s family members assisted in the Norman invasion of Ireland and two of his sons acquired large estates in Ireland for their services. Philip de Barry was given a large portion of territory and built Barryscourt Castle near Carrigtwohill, County Cork, in 1206. Philip fortified his castle so as to make it impregnable. He became jealous of a gentleman called Hodnett, who built Belvelly Castle on the opposite side of the channel separating the Great Island from the mainland. He gathered together friends, both English and Irish, and took Belvelly Castle in a severe battle in 1329 and gave the name of Barrymore to the Great Island. Barryscourt Castle Entrance, added in the 15th Century, County Cork, Ireland The de Barry’s lands in various parts of County Cork were divided amongst branches of the family. The Barrymores, (Barrra mór or ‘Great Barry’ in Irish) were the most powerful branch. Shortly after his marriage in 1621, David Barry, first Earl of Barrymore, commenced the construction of Barrymore Castle, Castlelyons, County Cork, and moved the Barrymore home some 25km north, from Barryscourt to Castlelyons, where the family also held extensive properties. Barrymore Castle remained the Irish residence of the Barrymores until 1771, when it was burned down and never rebuilt. Ruins of Barrymore Castle, Castlelyons, County Cork Built 17th Century by David Barry, 1st Earl of Barrymore James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore (1667-1748) James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore, inherited the extensive land and property in Cork. James married Elizabeth Savage and following the death of Elizabeth’s father Richard Savage in 1712, James bought the Marbury Estate, along with the land previously owned by the Marbury family, from the trustees of his father-in-law’s will, three years later for £21,000. James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore This full length portrait of the 4th Earl of Barrymore, dated 1720, hangs on the staircase landing in Tatton Hall. The painting is one of ten paintings of Cheshire gentlemen who met at Ashley Hall to decide which side to support in the first Jacobite Rebellion. Fortunately for themselves and their estates they chose in favour of King George. The portraits, commissioned to commemorate their resolve, hung in Ashley Hall until their transfer to Tatton in 1860. James was very fond of horse racing and a confirmed secret Jacobite follower. His family eventually moved into Marbury Hall twenty years later. The 1754 inventory shows the mansion had been encased in brick, had additional wings and more than fifty rooms. This building continued to be the home to Earl Barrymore’s descendants until the major changes and remodelling which were to take place in the middle of the 19th century. Barry Family Pedigree (Courtesy of Geoff Buchan) Richard Barry (1721-1787) Upon his father’s death in 1748, Richard Barry, his second son, inherited Marbury. He married Jane Hyde from Cork. Two years after the wedding, both she and their young son died of smallpox. Richard never recovered, remaining a widower until his death in 1787. John (Smith) Barry (1725-1784) John Barry, (1725-1784), the fourth son of James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore, married Dorothy Smith, which was the start of the Smith Barry family. Hon. John Smith Barry, by Francis Cote Dorothy Smith, born 1727 In 1749, John bought the site for Belmont Hall and commissioned James Gibbs to design the house, which was completed in 1755. Belmont Hall, Cheshire – now let to Cransley School John Smith Barry died in 1784, before his elder brother Richard (who died in 1787), so John Smith Barry never inherited the family estate. Smith Barry Family Pedigree (courtesy of Geoff Buchan) James Hugh Smith Barry (1748-1801) Following the death of his father John Smith Barry in 1784, James Hugh Smith Barry inherited Belmont Hall and continued to live there. Three years later, on the death of Richard Barry in 1787, James Hugh Smith Barry also inherited the family’s estate in Cork as well as the Marbury estate. As a young man on the Grand Tour, between 1771-6, James Hugh Smith Barry had travelled widely in Europe and the Middle East, borrowing large amounts of money and amassing a huge collection of ancient statuary, vases and paintings, mostly by Italian masters. The collection was initially housed in Belmont Hall (now let to Cransley School), where James lived. The left hand portrait of James Hugh Smith Barry by Pompeo Batoni was painted against a backcloth of the city of Rome, with James posing in the uniform of the Tarporley Hunt Club. The right hand portrait by Angelica Kaufmann was painted in Rome in 1780. The Achievement of Arms of Smith Barry of Belmont (based upon the personal seal of James Hugh Smith Barry) James Hugh Smith Barry spent little time at Marbury but clearly intended to make changes to the Hall. In his 28 page will of July 1799, eventually found in a trunk at Belmont Hall, he directed his executors to catalogue his collection and remove it to Marbury, providing it with a gallery and custodian. He also willed that all his five children, whose mother was Ann Tanner, be made legitimate and known as Smith Barry. James Hugh Smith Barry died in 1801, two years after making his will. Belmont Hall was sold to Henry Clark, who sold it to the Leigh family. The wishes in his will were not carried out in full, although the valuable collection was moved from Belmont Hall to Marbury Hall. John Smith Barry (1793-1837) James Hugh Smith Barry’s eldest son, John Smith Barry, became heir in 1814. He preferred to live on the family estates in Ireland. Fota House, Arboretum and Gardens, County Cork Fota House was originally a two-storey hunting lodge set in a large estate near to Barryscourt Castle. When the Barrymore’s family home was at Castlelyons, they used Fota as a base for fishing, shooting and yachting. John Smith Barry commissioned architect, Sir Richard Morrison to create the current mansion in the 1820’s and the family made Fota House their primary residence. Whilst he preferred to live at Fota House, John Smith Barry did contribute an important early engraving of the Georgian Marbury Hall to George Ormerod for his tome ‘History of Cheshire’, published in 1819. It shows the hall as remodelled by the 4th Earl of Barrymore. A large sculpture, surely from Smith Barry’s collection, is under the portico on the engraving. James Hugh Smith Barry (1816-1856) When John Smith Barry died in 1837, his eldest son, another James Hugh, inherited the estate. James Hugh Smith Barry had the formal gardens at Fota House laid out, started an arboretum and had an orangery built.